


the devil you know

by kitcatkandy



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Cheating, Eventual Happy Ending, Exes, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-10
Updated: 2017-07-14
Packaged: 2018-08-14 04:33:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7998760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitcatkandy/pseuds/kitcatkandy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p></p><blockquote>
  <p>Kagami wants to tell him <i>no</i>, tell him to <i>fuck off</i>, because there is no way in hell he's jumping back into bed with the man who broke his heart, but suddenly, he stops, and thinks. He feels Aomine's hot breath against his neck, feels the undeniable attraction that exists between them, and suddenly he's tired of holding back, of trying to stop himself and repress his sexual desires just so - just so what? </p>
</blockquote><br/>Kagami hasn't seen Aomine for a long while, not since he walked in on Aomine cheating on him with a girl, and he has no desire to renew their acquaintance any time soon. But when he's forced into going for a reunion with the GoM by Akashi, sparks fly again, and this time they agree to try a new relationship - fuck buddies, nothing else, and maybe, someday, he'll stop wishing for more.
            </blockquote>





	1. it's alright if it makes you feel alive

**Author's Note:**

> idk about the summary but  
> sexual tension is really not my thing  
> side note, there really aren't enough fics out there where aomine is an arrogant, confident, sexy-as-hell jerk who doesn't know how to deal with Feelings, so this is my contribution. i would welcome recommendations for those kinds of fics as well, and thank you for reading ^^

It all starts when Kuroko forwards him a text message from Akashi inviting him -  _ordering_  him - to attend a reunion of the Kiseki, and threatening dismemberment in case of absence. Kagami doesn't even know  _why_  he's been asked to attend - hell, he isn't one of the Generation of Miracles, not by far, and although he was plenty glad to have earned their respect in his younger days, he's not sure if he's all that happy being invited to their exclusive club. But when Akashi gives an order, nobody dares to question it, least of all Kagami. He still feels the phantom burn of the scissors on his cheek, and although it's true that Akashi is slightly less...  _psychopathic_  nowadays, he's still unpredictable, and someone to be feared.

So after a little bit of stalling, a little bit of reluctant rejoinder, Kagami unwillingly agrees to attend the reunion with Kuroko (not that he had had much of a choice in the first place anyway). According to Kuroko, there aren't going to be a lot of people invited to be there, just the members of the GoM and a couple of others from the teams. The party's scheduled to be held at one of the ritzy bars - which, rumour has it, Akashi owns - in downtown, and it's not going to be a closed affair.

Kagami interprets that as saying that there's going to be women, and a lot of them. Even though it's not his cup of tea, he thinks about the free food, the free beer, and  _sure_ , who's going to turn down an invitation like that? Akashi never disappoints, after all.

In retrospect, alarm bells should have been ringing in his head, warning him to  _stay away_ , get  _the fuck_  away, risk Akashi's wrath just to get out of the engagement, because of course  _he_  was going to be there, and getting his eyes gouged out was, to Kagami, a far more preferable fate to meeting  _him_.

But then again, there had always been a reason why everyone called him an idiot. An angelic one, no doubt, but an idiot nonetheless.

The bar is dark and black-walled, and the music playing is, true to Akashi's taste, classical and barely more than a background murmur. The quiet chatter of the guests floats amicably around the enclosed area, and Kagami feels his body relax, almost unconsciously. He makes his way to the bar immediately, and tosses down a thousand-yen bill.

"A glass of something strong," he mutters to the bartender, casting a quick, covert glance over the drinks displayed discreetly on the wall, and deciding immediately that he's not going to humiliate himself by trying to pronounce any of the foreign brands on display. The bartender raises a disapproving eyebrow, looks down his nose at the money on the table, and picks it up gingerly as if he wishes he had forceps to do it instead. Kagami imagines him holding up a monocle to his eyes, and the image is so fitting that he has to stifle an ill-timed chuckle.

A few seconds later, the bartender sets down a glass of…  _something_ down on the counter and moves off with the same, smooth glide. Kagami takes a sip of the blue liquid within and chokes slightly on the strong, sour taste, undeniably infused with more than a little alcohol. He wonders what else is in it, and decides that, maybe, he's better off not asking.

He nurses his drink for a few minutes - or  _pretends_  to, at least - while he runs his eyes over the crowd. More than a couple of times, his eye catches appreciatively on the curve of a man's ass, on the line of another dancer's deltoids, but almost immediately he looks away. He isn't looking for a relationship at the moment, and the idea of a quick fuck has never really appealed to him. He's more than contented with his right hand, seeing as how his first attempted one-night stand had been disappointingly lukewarm. Kagami isn't looking for a quick fling, and neither is he out for a permanent relationship. He had simply never felt like it was the right time, to Kise's great chagrin, and Kuroko's quiet disapproval.

"You'll  _have_  to settle down one day, Kagamicchi," Kise has wailed more than once, when Kagami had - as politely as possible - turned down his attempts at matchmaking. Even Kuroko has taken to affixing him with a stare of disappointment, and even the occasional potent Sigh. That Sigh conveys a lot, really it does, and sometimes Kagami feels so overcome with guilt that he almost gives in to Kise's well-meaning offers. But then he catches himself, and reminds himself that his life is  _his bloody own to live_ , and besides, he isn't in any rush to repeat the follies of his teenage years.

Kagami can tell immediately when Kuroko and Kise arrive. He feels, rather than hears, the collective sigh that echoes through the female portion of the crowd, and the telltale shifting of feet as they crowd towards the door. The volume of the noise in the bar ups by a few levels, and Kagami gives a fond sigh of resignation. He likes Kise, really, and of course he's not jealous of the attention he receives from women, but sometimes he feels a sneaking sympathy for what Kuroko has to put up with.

Again, he knows the instant Kise spots him, because immediately the air is rent with a loud shriek of " _Kagamicchi_!!!" Kagami gives another loud sigh, and huddles closer to his drink - not that it'll give him any purchase from the tornado that is Kise Ryouta.

"Kagamicchi!" Kise chatters, his usual disarming smile on his face as he settles into the bar stool next to Kagami, deftly signing an autograph pad shoved towards him with one hand and signalling to the bartender with another. "One Vodka Orange, please," he calls, then he pauses, and looks over his shoulder with a quick smile. "And an Absolut Vanilia, thanks."

Kuroko slides silently into the stool next to Kise, his blue eyes fixed blankly on the girl standing perilously-close to Kise while the latter obliviously signs another autograph, this time from a blushing male fan. "Hello, Kagami-kun," he says, his voice as polite as ever. But Kagami hasn't been his best friend for almost fourteen years without learning to read the emotions of the usually-expressionless man, to a certain extent.

This expression is scary as fuck, and the girl senses it instinctively in an instant. She casts a surprised and terrified look in Kuroko's direction, and scuttles off without further ado. Kise looks at her go, and turns a sly smile towards his partner.

"What were you  _doing_  to that poor girl, Kurokocchi?" he purrs, his voice teasing, as he waves away the last of his ardent fans and turns his full attention back to the company.

Kuroko's face is as blank as ever, but Kagami catches the slight satisfied upturn of his lips, and tries to hide his own smile in his drink.

Kise turns to Kagami, his golden eyes wide and merry. "Kagamicchi!" he says again, and Kagami snorts irritably. He knows it's useless to tell Kise to drop that ridiculous nickname - God knows he's been trying even since high school - but it still makes him feel annoyed, and a tad flustered. He nods towards Kuroko, and takes another quick gulp of the drink. It slides down his throat, and this time the burn is rather pleasant.

Kise continues chattering on beside him. "It's been such a long time since I've seen you, Kagamicchi, you don't look too bad! Kuroko told me you received the "Best Fireman of the Year" award, but I can't say that was unexpected; you always were the best at fighting fires, weren't you?" He gives his tinkly little laugh, and tosses cash over the counter at the snooty bartender as he brings them their drinks.

After taking a sip, he leans forward, almost conspiratorially, and murmurs, "I've got a really  _good_  one for you this time, Kagamicchi - he's a businessman, and _soooo_  hot! He even plays basketball on the side, how's that? Do you want to give him a try, tap that ass? It’s a pretty nice ass, I can tell you that much, and I’d probably go for it if I didn’t have Kurokocchi, here."

Kagami laughs - a real, genuine laugh, because Kise is just as persistent as ever, and just as likeable. His golden eyes sparkle and change colours as he moves his head restlessly, and his mobile face is just as expressive as before.  _It's good to see him_ , Kagami realises; Kise over text isn't  _quite_  the same as Kise in person, and while he suspects the latter might become tiresome after a period of long exposure - as had happened in high school - it would always be a pleasure to talk to the energetic model.

"It's nice to see you again, Kagami-kun," Kuroko's quiet voice breaks in. He and Kagami haven't been meeting up recently at all, despite them still being the closest of friends, because the preschool teacher's job keeps him working late hours and with not much time left for his partner, much less for Kagami. But they do say that absence makes the heart grow fonder, and Kagami's certain that that's true for him and Kuroko.

They enter into fluid conversation immediately, Kagami feeling strangely at home among the two, with no stilted or awkward pauses at all. He marvels at the ease of the interactions between them, and laughs occasionally at Kise's comical stories regarding his co-workers and his director. There's a friendlier ambiance in the air, and Kagami feels almost grateful that he conceded to coming to this reunion. He doesn't see any of the other members of the GoM, and perhaps they've chosen to forgo the party altogether. He expects that's for the better; right now, with Kuroko and Kise, he's feeling completely relaxed and off his guard.

Perhaps that assumption is why Kise's next few words catch him horribly by surprise.

"Did you know? Aominecchi's going to be here tonight!" he says excitedly, his eyes lighting up at the thought of his old friend. "You haven't kept in contact with him these few years, right? I heard he's become quite the player - although not in the basketball sense, of course."

Kise's scandalised giggle is like a knife to the heart, and Kagami winces. Of course - of course he should have expected this. Even in high school Aomine had been popular with the ladies - there had been no shortage of female fans, and although their numbers had been nowhere near Kise's, he had still had no lack of choices.

But still, it’s painful, and as Kagami drops his gaze to stare blankly at the blue depths of his cursed drink, he feels the sympathetic burn of Kuroko's gaze on the back of his neck. Only Kuroko knows, after all - they  _are_  best friends, and of course Kuroko had been the first and only one he'd run to after the incident, but his pity still  _hurts_. 

***

It was a warm summer day, and Kagami was holding a bag of ice cream in his hand. It was banana-flavoured, an odd choice, but Kagami remembered Aomine's predilection for the flavour with fondness. Like Imayoshi, he found it adorable, but it was something he kept to himself, knowing that Aomine easily got defensive about that kind of thing.

His phone was in his pocket, and he fished it out deftly with his other hand, scrolling quickly through the text messages from the previous night. There had been something wrong with Aomine - he hadn't been as communicative, and when Kagami had subtly tried to invite him over for a drink, and hopefully a round of sex, he'd uncharacteristically declined.

So Kagami was worried about him. The bastard wasn't really _that_  thick-headed, after all, and he really never failed to recognise an invitation, so there had to be something wrong with him. And now that they were really, officially dating...

Kagami couldn't help smiling a little to himself, and he whistled as he jostled the bag of ice cream. There must be something wrong with  _him_ , too, Kagami thought dazedly, for him to be acting so strangely as well, but just the mere thought of his boyfriend sent him floating into weird happy places. The confession hadn't been planned, and neither had been their getting together; it had just been spontaneous and completely unexpected, as was everything they did.

Kagami couldn't quite remember what had happened that day - they'd been fighting over something inane, something completely unimportant, and there had been a lot of pushing and shoving. Aomine had slammed him against the net of the basketball court and held him there, both of them breathing hard. It had been late at night, and the stars had been unusually bright, and Kagami would always blame the fey magic that had overcome him then, for his actions after that.

He had watched a drop of sweat slide tantalisingly down the sharp, angled line of Aomine's jaw, drawn his eyes shakily over the bunched muscle of Aomine's arms, trapping him against the cold hard metal - trailed his gaze over the tan skin of Aomine's neck, watched his Adam's apple bob, and lifted his eyes towards Aomine's own. The uncontrollable burning fire in the other ace's eyes had sent sparks flickering through his entire body, sending a shuddering thrill through him.

The stars had glittered in Aomine's eyes, and there had been a bright, hungry,  _dangerous_  light to those blue orbs. Kagami's tongue had flicked out unconsciously to moisten his lips, surprisingly dry - and he had not missed the way Aomine's eyes had followed the movement. His eyes had fluttered shut, half-mast, and then suddenly, with a muffled curse, Aomine had leaned forward and pressed their lips together.

The action had sent Kagami's body entirely on fire. Aomine's lips were surprisingly soft, and they had moved with a gentle caress against Kagami's. Aomine had muttered a quiet, soundless prayer, his lips shifting against Kagami's almost  _tenderly_  - and then he had deepened the kiss. Kagami had gasped as Aomine's hands came up to his face, holding on to his cheeks in a painfully-intimate fashion. He had felt Aomine's tongue at his lips, seeking entry, and he had involuntarily opened his mouth to grant the other access.

Immediately Aomine's tongue tangled with his, and they grappled in a fierce battle for dominance as Kagami slowly came back to his senses, and realised that he was kissing _Aomine_ , of all people - that he was kissing his rival, and it rankled to be so easily dominated.

So he had fought back, equally ferocious, and when they had drawn away for air Aomine had uttered a dark chuckle from the back of his throat. " _Kagami_ ," he had rumbled, and the sound of his name spoken in that husky, heat-roughened voice had been enough to send Kagami over the edge. He had seized Aomine by the tendrils of his silky dark hair and yanked him close again.

This time the kiss was fiercer, darker, and Kagami could taste the sweet volatile taste that was uniquely  _Aomine_. Heat had sparked through his every nerve, setting him on fire, and when they had separated, Aomine’s eyes had been burning like a flame. There was saliva dripping out slowly from the corner of Kagami’s mouth, but somehow he couldn’t bring himself to wipe it away. He felt as if all the strength in his body had drained out, all the blood flowing to his cock, and he simply had no more energy left to move.

Then -

"I like you," he had blurted out, on the spur of the moment, and had watched the hungry desire in Aomine's eyes blank to shock, and confusion. There had been a moment's pause - then Kagami had turned, and stumbled away, his hand over his eyes, because  _of course_ Aomine didn't like him that way, he liked girls after all, didn't he, and now they weren't going to be friends anymore, they weren't going to be able to play basketball together because  _he'd been such a bloody idiot_  -

Suddenly, he had felt a tug on his arm, and looked back with wide eyes at Aomine - Aomine, whose eyes were wide as well, and his fingers had been cold. "I like you too," he had said, and the tremble in his usually-suave voice had been enough to convince Kagami.

They had fucked that night, Kagami bent in every possible position under Aomine until his hips shook and the paint on the wall flaked off from the force of their movements. He had woken up the next day with dark, bruised marks all over his neck and chest, and he'd only regretted it once - when he'd turned up for practice slightly late, and Riko had glared accusingly at the obvious hickeys on his pale skin.

Kagami smiled as he recalled the memory. Since then, they had been dating for two weeks, and it had been a wild rollercoaster ride, but he wouldn't have expected any less from a relationship with Aomine. They were like twin flames, the two of them, dancing and burning and raging in unison, setting each other alight and keeping the other aflame. They fought often, and hard, but most times that ended up with Kagami on his back being fucked into the mattress, or Kagami riding Aomine's cock as he screamed, " _More_!"

Kagami blushed, and checked the last text message from their chat to distract himself - sent an hour ago, asking for permission to come around. Aomine hadn't replied, and so Kagami had taken it as an affirmative response, visiting the nearby konbini to pick up a tub or two of banana ice cream.

He was in a good mood, and was already looking forward to the look of astonishment on Aomine's face as he turned up out of the blue with the other's favourite ice cream flavour in hand. He hummed a soft little tune as he walked along the corridor of the block, counting down the unit numbers until he reached Aomine's. There was a faded Welcome mat on the doorstep, and the door was undecorated, as usual.

Kagami kicked aside a pair of women's high heels which had obviously been misplaced from a neighbour's flat - there weren't any women in Aomine's house, after all, and he barely spared a second to wonder  _just why they were there_  - and slipped the spare key out from under the potted plant. "Aomine!" he called out triumphantly, as he entered. "You didn't get my message? I thought I texted you - "

On hindsight, he should have known something was wrong, should've scented the unfamiliar scent of perfume in the air, should've balked at the sound of an unfamiliar woman's laughter in the room beyond, should've wondered why there was an obnoxiously-bright pink bra on the floor. But he had been so naive, so unbelievably  _stupid_  and  _trusting_  and wholeheartedly  _in love_  that he hadn't stopped to think at all.

Of course, at first he hadn't believed his own eyes.

Aomine sat in the middle of the corridor, his head buried in between the breasts of an unfamiliar woman, his shirt off and the woman half-naked. His hand was under her skirt, and hers was on his already-unsheathed cock. She was moaning, high-pitched moans that Kagami would never forget as long as he lived, and he had heard the familiar guttural tones of Aomine's voice whisper dark, sinful promises into her ear that left her gasping for more.

The sight sickened Kagami, and he dropped the bag of ice cream before he could help himself. Aomine and the woman whipped around at the abrupt intrusion, and the woman shrieked.

Aomine didn't react, except for an arched eyebrow, and a mildly-amused upturn of the lips. He didn't move, and stared almost...  _expectantly_  at Kagami.

"What the fuck," Kagami said, quietly, although his brain was very near to short-circuiting. "What... the…  _fuck_." This time, the words were edged with a dangerous tone, and he didn't miss the way Aomine's eyes lit up with a matching, mocking glint.

The girl sprang to her feet, her face ablaze with a flush, her mouth already stammering out useless platitudes, excuses, a desire to be somewhere else, but Aomine stretched out a lazy hand, and caught hold of her waist.

"Where you going, sweetheart?" he purred. "We aren't finished, you know."

Although he was speaking to the woman, he had kept his eyes staring deep into Kagami's, this time filled with a challenge, a defiant air, and it had sent bile rushing up Kagami's throat.

"I thought we were dating," Kagami said, his voice strangely calm despite the roaring sea of anger in his chest. "I thought we were together. I thought – I thought that was a promise of loyalty."

Aomine's shoulders lifted in a casual shrug, his lip curving into that familiar sardonic smirk which Kagami had loved so much - which Kagami now _hated with a passion_. His eyes shuttered almost closed, and his pupils dilated.

"Well, we never said we were exclusive, did we?" he pointed out, his voice dropping an octave, its velvet tones grating strangely over Kagami's ears.

Kagami's voice sounded foreign, distant to him as he spoke again. "I thought that was a given," he said, and this time he couldn't control his emotions any longer. Hurt, and yes,  _anger_  - a terrible, boiling fury which threatened to overwhelm him and send a punch flying straight towards Aomine's smug, smirking face - they coloured his voice, sending it shaking and anguished as he spoke. He felt something slide down his cheek, and raised a hand disbelievingly to touch his face - a tear, a large one and it tasted salty as it slipped into the corner of his mouth.

Before he turned and ran, he saw something flash across Aomine's face - something that could have been remorse, something that could have been anger, something that could even have been pain - but he didn't stick around to find out.

Kuroko was the only one he told, and he had never seen Aomine again. It had been his first, his first everything, a whirlwind romance which had been destined from the first to fail spectacularly, and he never wanted a repeat of that again.

"Kagamicchi, are you listening?" Kagami snaps out of his reverie as he realises that Kise's been calling his name repeatedly for the last few moments, waving his hand in front of his face and looking at him in concern. "Kagamicchi, are you okay?" he asks, and the worry in his voice is so evident - and so foreign - that Kagami feels a little bit guilty.

He clears his throat, and nods an assent gruffly. Kagami avoids Kuroko's gaze, already familiar with the sympathy in those ice-blue eyes, and fixes his gaze determinedly on Kise's. "I'm sorry, I just got distracted for a moment," he murmurs, his fingers absent-mindedly tracing the rim of his drink. "You were saying…?"

Kise brightens up immediately, although his eyes are still keen and sharp, searching as they drift over Kagami's face. He chatters on and on about his latest gig, when his manager had mixed up the times and got him into an underwear shoot by accident - and although he hadn't  _really_  minded doing something like that, Kurokocchi did get angry if he took on any jobs that involved him being more than half-naked. Kagami laughs at the recount, imagining Kuroko's expression at the time of that incident, and Kise laughs along with him. He then launches into another story of how he'd come home one day, to find a cat in his bed shedding fur all over his Gucci and Prada.

He's in the middle of detailing how the cat had sprung up and fled to the bathroom, accidentally locking itself inside, when Kagami hears it.

A deep, thick laughter, the voice edged with dulcet tones and a hint - just a bare hint - of  _danger_. A voice that spoke to your instincts, a voice that hinted of sinful, dark pleasures had between the sheets, a voice that turned heads and stopped hearts.

Kagami remembers that laughter.

Slowly, inexorably, he turns his head towards the source of that laughter, the dread already burning a hole in his chest. His head feels dizzy, and it feels like there are a thousand mice running rounds around his brain, but outwardly he's strangely calm. His fingers unconsciously grip onto the stem of his glass, and he feels the tension as it threatens to snap under the strength of his fingers. Suddenly, the room feels altogether too stuffy, and the lights are suddenly too bright.

He sees Aomine, just a few seconds before he hears that deep, mocking laughter again, and instantly he regrets every choice he's made up till this moment that's led him  _here_ , to this fateful meeting. Because his heart is sprinting at a thousand miles an hour and his breath is coming fast, fast and hard, and he can barely keep himself still.

Instant sparks. That's the only way he can describe the feeling that threatens to overwhelm him as he looks at his old flame, and first love.

Aomine looks just as good as ever, and that's the worst part of it. But as Kagami's eyes roam uncontrollably over the other man's body, he feels heat spark through every nerve in his body, because, if it were even possible, Aomine's gotten a thousand times sexier. There's a mature, seasoned confidence to the way he slouches in his chair, his entire attitude that of I-don't-give-a-damn. The lines of his face are hard and angular, his cheekbones arched and high, and Kagami's other hand clenches involuntarily into a fist as he remembers sliding his own fingers tenderly over those sleek lines, cheekbones so sharp they could kill a man. His eyes are hooded, heavy-kidded, and his mouth -  _God_ , his mouth - is curved into that familiar, dark, _debauched_  smirk. And as he throws his head back with another peal of sardonic laughter, his teeth gleam white against the darkness of his skin.

He's just as muscular as ever, and his ass is still as tight. Kagami feels his mouth water involuntarily as he scans the lines of Aomine's body. The suit stretches tight over the thick muscles of his chest, and as Kagami watches, unable to tear his eyes away, one of the three women curled into his side leans forward and slyly slips one of the buttons out. He drops his head and looks at her through half-mast eyes, and his eyes scream a dark promise that sends the girl curving even closer to his side. She presses her breasts against his arm, her cleavage almost spilling out of the collar of her dress. The other two women whine, a high-pitched protest, and one of them places her hand lightly on his crotch. Her chest heaves, and she runs her lips against his jaw. But Kagami only has eyes for the man they're fawning over, and he watches, spellbound, as the collar of the shirt slips open, to reveal one pert, dark nipple.

He swallows, and as he feels the glass stem shatter under his fingers, the spell is broken. Ignoring Kise's shocked titter and Kuroko's sudden worried interjection, he springs to his feet, banging his knee against the counter with a surprisingly-loud clatter, and makes to leave. Kagami feels the stirring of an erection in his pants, and he wants to cry out with anguish and fury - because, really, how is it that Aomine can still affect him so greatly even after so many years, even after he'd seen with his own eyes irrevocable proof of how the other was nothing better than a womanising douche?

One last glance before he goes - and he is frozen, caught like a deer in a hunter's trap.

Aomine, alerted by the sound of his knee banging against the bar, has lifted his eyes towards the source of the commotion - and suddenly they are staring into each other's eyes. Kagami cannot look away, and he watches, the dread unfolding again in his chest as he watches Aomine's eyes darken, melt, glitter, the molten blaze within those dark orbs burning into his very soul.

They stand there, staring at each other for what seems like eternity, and the air is electric. Then Aomine deliberately runs his eyes over Kagami's body, and his tongue flicks out to curve a moist, seductive line over his lips.

Kagami flees, as prey flees predator, ignoring Kise's cry of protest, and he runs out into the cool, crisp air of the night. It had been a mistake, a terrible mistake, he knows that now, because obviously Aomine is still the same selfish bastard he had been all those years ago. Judging by the women hanging off his arm, he hasn't changed his ways at all, and Kagami cursed the fact that he's still surprised.

There's a bitter feeling of vomit rising up in his chest, and it's not from the alcohol. He has to take several deep breaths to steady himself, leaning shakily against the hood of his car while he tries to recover.

Footsteps. He thinks it's Kise, or Kuroko, but then he recognises the deliberate, heavy footfalls - and his heart suddenly calms. Now, he knows this was all inevitable, that their meeting had been fate, and he could never run - that he could never escape Aomine.

"Kagami," he says, and his voice is as thick and deep as ever. The word almost sounds like a gentle caress, but there's a subtle mocking uplift of the last syllable that makes Kagami jerk upright, his eyes blazing.

"Aomine," he growls, and he thanks all the gods in his pantheon that his voice is steady.

Aomine stalks closer, his hips undulating seductively with every step, his hands tucked in his pockets. Kagami realises that another button has been undone, and at the sight of that dark, tanned abdomen, his throat suddenly goes dry. Aomine stops, just shy of him, but close enough that Kagami can feel the heat emanating off his body. His eyes run carelessly over Kagami's body again, and then his mouth curves into that wicked, sinful smirk, the one which had always sent Kagami into a state of restless arousal, and which doesn't fail to do so now.

Then he pulls a cigarette out of his pocket, lighting it with a deft flick at the lighter in his other hand, and exhales quietly. The tendrils of smoke waft out of his mouth and into the open air, forming a thin column of smoke into the sky.

"It's been a long time since we've seen each other, hasn't it?" he purrs, his voice low and rich. "How've you been?"

The words are out before Kagami can stop himself. "Better off without you," he snaps in return, and instantly curses himself. He sounds like one of those jealous exes one always sees on television (not that he watches those dramas, or at least, not that often) - bitter, jaded, full of fury. He hates that Aomine is the only one who's able to bring out this side of him, the angry, hurting side which seems to lash out at everyone around him.

One of Aomine's sleek eyebrows lifts, and again there's that smug, familiar look in his eyes which makes everyone - Kagami included - want to punch his lights out. "I can see that," he drawls. "You look _good_ , Kagami."

He shifts, and suddenly Kagami can see the hint of a dark mark marring his tan skin, just above his collar, and a wave of revulsion overcomes him. He turns and fishes his keys out of his pocket, unlocking the car and yanking the door open with jerky movements. But Aomine catches hold of him with an iron grip, and refuses to let go.

"Hey now, where you going, sweetheart?" he rumbles, and his voice is pitched so low that the sound thrums through his chest. "We aren't finished, you know."

The echo of those familiar words sends an angry flush to Kagami's cheeks, and he jerks his arm away. He turns furious eyes towards Aomine, and growls, "Damn right we're finished here. We've been  _finished_  a long time, Aomine, ever since you fucked a girl while we were dating. _I don't want to see you ever again_."

He's hindered from further movement by the sudden press of Aomine's lips against his, the sudden hot heavy kiss, and then his hands are pulling viciously at Aomine's dark hair and their tongues are battling a violent duel again. Kagami hates how easily he gives way, but the heady scent of  _Aomine_  is like opium to him, and he cannot resist.

Aomine's hands settle on his hips and grip hard, pinching into the muscle – Kagami’s sure that there’ll be bruises left behind afterwards, but at the same time he welcomes the harsh burn from those fingers digging into his flesh. He twists, bringing Aomine closer to him, their mouths moving against one another’s with desperate, painful urgency. Aomine hisses, and he shoves one knee in between Kagami's legs. Kagami utters a bestial growl, low and deep in the back of his throat, as he feels Aomine's knee rub tantalisingly against his burgeoning erection.

When they finally part for air, Kagami is gasping for breath, his hands still buried in the tendrils of Aomine's hair. He looks into Aomine's dark eyes, and fury thrashes through him as he sees the smug satisfaction in those eyes. His gaze drops to his sinful red lips, full and ripe from the exertion of kissing, and suddenly he's painfully hard.

"That doesn't feel like  _finished_  to me," Aomine murmurs in his ear, his voice a mocking rumble. "What about we get a room, dissipate some of that sexual frustration, huh? Because this - " He grinds his knee harder against Kagami's cock, and Kagami utters an involuntary, broken whimper, " - tells me you haven't gotten laid any time lately."

Kagami wants to tell him  _no_ , tell him to  _fuck off_ , because there is no way in hell he's jumping back into bed with the man who broke his heart, but suddenly, he stops, and thinks.

He feels Aomine's hot breath against his neck, feels the undeniable attraction that exists between them, and suddenly he's  _tired_  of holding back, of trying to stop himself and repress his sexual desires just so - just so what? It's cutting off his nose to spite his face, really it is, and Aomine's offer sounds as good as it gets.

Besides, he can't deny that Aomine's scent, Aomine's voice, Aomine's very  _touch_  gets him more aroused than he's ever been by any other man, so why not make use of that? It's true that he hasn't gotten laid recently, that he's somehow never been in the mood, that he's never really felt quite right, so why not take that tension down a notch with what Aomine's offering?

Besides, it's just a fling, and Aomine's not likely to give anything more. So he grabs Aomine again, and presses their lips together. Aomine utters a soft sound of surprise, then Kagami feels his lips curve in a quiet smirk of triumph, and they're back to fighting a duel of dominance again. His hips slam against his car, and Aomine's hands - with their long, slim, beautiful fingers - dip into the waist of his pants and slide up the smooth surface of his chest. Kagami gasps, a guttural sound, as Aomine's fingers find his nipples and give a harsh tweak.

Kagami's mouth moves away from Aomine's, blindly roving over the expanse of his neck, and when he finds the dark mark left behind, he bites down hard, and sucks. It's only when the entire area turns red that he lifts his lips away, perversely satisfied. He looks into Aomine's eyes, and somehow he knows that the other knows exactly what he's doing.

They grin at each other, feral grins that Kagami knows are one and the same, and for once in a long time - in a long, long time -  _he feels alive_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [tumblr](http://kitcatkandy.tumblr.com/) hmu if you love the gay, comments and kudos are love <3  
>  aomine is a huge jerk in this but please, he has his reasons


	2. right on the edge and ready to fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shorter than usual BUT(T) finals are nearly here soo  
> disclaimer: this is just sex. seriously.

" _Fuck,_ " Kagami groans, as Aomine slams him against the wall, devouring his mouth hungrily and dotting harsh bites down the expanse of his neck. His strong fingers dig into the strands of Aomine's hair and pull, hard. Aomine growls, a low, feral growl of pain, and he tosses his head back, his eyes shining with suppressed anger - and is that _excitement_?

"Slow the fuck down, you bastard," Kagami snarls, pushing Aomine away and wiping away the trail of drool on his chin. "We're not even through the entranceway yet." He kicks off his shoes and swipes the hotel key across the sensor on the door, feeling the burn of Aomine's gaze run over his waist and his ass.

Then those large, calloused hands settle on his hipbones, and he can feel the heat emanating from Aomine's body. There's a light touch along his shoulder, a soft, moist contact, and then Kagami realises belatedly that Aomine's dotting quiet, tender kisses along his trapezius. The action is so incongruous, so different, that he turns around and directs a quick, confused glare in Aomine's direction.

Aomine's eyes peer out at him from under long, dark lashes, the burn of his eyes a molten blue, the irises so dark they are almost black. Then, as they stare into each other's eyes, Aomine slides his mouth deliberately over to the swell of Kagami's deltoid, and delivers a hard, hungry bite.

Kagami hisses in pain and shoves him off immediately, his hand going instantly to the open wound. It stings, and Aomine's bitten so deep that the cut has drawn blood. It oozes out in droplets, one by one down the pale skin of his shoulder, and Kagami can do nothing but stare dazedly for a few moments.

Then, there's a quiet electronic beep as the door unlocks, and he snaps out of it just enough to roughly shove the door open and stomp his way in. He throws his wallet on top of the TV cabinet and shucks off his jacket, shrugging out of it with quick, concise movements. When he's done with that, he turns around to hang his jacket in the cupboard, only to notice that Aomine hasn't moved an inch, except to step in after him and pull on the door handle.

The door closes with a quiet click, a sound of finality.

The light is dim, muted to create a sense of ambience, and he can only vaguely see the outline of Aomine's slender body in the dark. But his eyes glint, even in the blackness of the room, and there is an inherent, predatory light which sends an involuntary shiver down Kagami's back.

"What are you doing?" he growls, and he is surprised at the husky edge to his voice. "Take off your clothes, let's get on with it." He wants to turn around, to switch on the light, but then suddenly Aomine's in his face, his hands on Kagami's cheeks and those searing, scorching eyes painfully close. Kagami wants to say something,  _anything_ , but as he feels the warmth of Aomine's body sending trails of fire streaking across his skin, he can't think of anything to say at all.

He holds his breath; somehow, it's strangely appropriate, and it's strangely exhilarating to watch the way Aomine's eyes trail almost  _lovingly_  across his face, down the line of his neck, across his pectorals and down, down,  _down_. Now Kagami feels  _embarrassed_ , of all things, and so he does the only thing he can to stop that searing gaze from burning through his flesh: he grabs Aomine's face and yanks it closer for a deep, lustful kiss.

At first, Aomine's mouth is hesitant, caressing, but quickly it becomes as hungry as a wildcat. His hands come up into Kagami's hair and grip tight, so tight that Kagami feels the pain, and he pushes forward with his body so that Kagami has to take a couple of involuntary steps back. The back of his knees hits the bed, and he almost loses his balance.

Aomine breaks away from the kiss, and his breaths and deep and ragged. His eyes are alight with the fire that was always present when they played basketball together, and somehow Kagami knows that his eyes are the same too - alight with excitement, an unbridled joy, and a wild, tightly-leashed animal instinct. He tugs at the buttons on his dress shirt, eager to get them off, and almost rips one out in the process. By the time he's done and chucked the shirt in a corner, Aomine's already shirtless with his jeans unbuckled, hanging loose on his slim hips and revealing the waistband of a shockingly-red pair of boxers.

( _Who wears jeans to a reunion_ , Kagami wants to say, but then he feels himself involuntarily start to salivate, and immediately forgets what he wanted to say.)

Aomine's kept his body well over the years, and the lines of his muscles still stand out stark and proud against his dusky skin. Kagami wonders vaguely what he does for a living, then decides he doesn't care. His own body is just as toned, slightly broader, but he hasn't yet managed to gain the inch he's always lost to the other man. He resents that.

Aomine’s eyes are blazing, wicked, gleeful. He runs his eyes over Kagami's body again, and his pupils dilate, then he hooks his fingers into Kagami's belt loops and tugs, hard. "These come off,  _now_ ," he rumbles, and promptly begins to dot painful, biting kisses along the expanse of Kagami's neck. Kagami wants to make a vicious retort, that he can't exactly do that quickly with a man biting at his neck, but then he feels the insistent push of Aomine's bulge against his thigh and decides, yet  _again_ , that he'd best not say anything.

He slips the button of his pants out quickly and slides the zip down, and before he can do anything more Aomine's yanked them off and pushed him onto the bed. There's a hard, muted  _thunk_  as his back hits the bed and Kagami dimly hears alarm bells ringing in the back of his head - back where's he's sane, where he's awake and alarmed, where he's not befuddled by a lust-filled haze - but as he watches Aomine strip his own pants off with a smooth flourish, the last vestiges of his rationality shut down. He can smell the familiar scent of Aomine, stronger than ever, harsher than ever - a faint, spicy musk which had always tinged the air when they had played basketball, and Aomine had carelessly thrown his arm over his shoulder.

Kagami takes a deep breath, and forces himself to focus. The fabric of Aomine's boxers is tight, hugging the now-conspicuous bulge at the front, and Kagami's fingers itch to touch - so he does, not with his hands, but reaching out a foot and stroking along the entire length, from shaft to base.

He hears an audible intake of breath, and looks up into Aomine's eyes, which are burning with a new, renewed fire. They lock eyes for barely a second, then Aomine springs upon him and presses their lips together. They kiss, fervently, frantically, as if it were their last day on earth, and Aomine's hands go to Kagami's chest, his fingers searching, stroking, caressing. He finds Kagami's nipple, and pinches, hard.

Kagami sucks in his breath and almost chokes. Aomine still remembers the way he likes it, a little painful, a little hard, rolling his thumb over the little nub until it swells. Then Aomine's mouth is off his and latching on to his other nipple, where he licks and swirls his tongue around the small peak. Not to be outdone, Kagami lifts his legs and curves them around Aomine's back. He grips on tight, bringing their boxer-clad cocks close together, and Aomine lets out a soft hiss as Kagami deliberately rolls his hips.

“Hurry up," Kagami growls, his hand yanking none-too-gently on Aomine's dark hair and pulling his lips off his chest. He hasn't gotten laid for almost three months, now, not since his last lay was a horrific, lukewarm failure, and he's feeling fucking  _horny_. His ass is aching, and already his cock is leaking painfully, crying for release, and  _oh God how can Aomine even think of doing foreplay when he's already ready to burst –_

Aomine utters a low hum of assent, and Kagami lets loose a string of invectives as he dips his fingers down and grips the hard length of Kagami's cock. He shucks off his boxers and draws in his breath when he realises that, somehow, Aomine has also done the same, and now they're both fully unclothed with their naked cocks kissing. The sensation, the familiar heat, the familiar _smell_ , is all almost too much to bear, and Kagami yanks Aomine closer for another deep, soul-searing kiss.

There's a thread of saliva connecting their lips when he finally pulls their heads away to breathe - what is he, an  _amateur_ , to forget to breathe through  _his fucking nose_  - and Aomine fists his hand through Kagami's hair. "You're as beautiful as ever, Kagami," he says, and although his voice is mocking as always, there's a softer edge to it which, somehow, makes Kagami feel uncomfortable.

"Shut up," he replies, averting his eyes, his voice hoarse. "You gonna fuck me, or what?"

There is a flash of brilliant white teeth as Aomine smiles, then suddenly Kagami finds his legs in the air and Aomine's fingers pressing his hole open. There's the sound of a cap falling to the ground, a crisp squelch of fluid, and then a finger is pushing - cautiously - at his entrance. Kagami sucks in air through his teeth, more from the coldness of the lube than anything else.

"You're tight," Aomine murmurs. "I was right when I said you hadn't fucked in a while, wasn't I?" His long finger slides in and out, in and out, and Kagami feels his toes curl at the foreign presence in his ass.

"You didn't... say anything... of the kind," he grits out, feeling another finger pushing its way in carefully. Aomine starts thrusting in more vigorously, his fingers scissoring and stroking. Then Kagami arches involuntarily off the bed, uttering a muffled curse, as Aomine crooks his fingers.

"Bingo," comes the smug whisper of triumph, and really, Kagami considers giving him a kick straight to the face. But he can no longer think straight, now; Aomine's pressing insistently on that one small bundle of nerves, pressing and sliding over it until Kagami wants to scream. Then he almost comes undone, as he feels something wet press against the base of his weeping cock.

He looks down, the motion jerky and forced, only to meet Aomine's wicked, dancing eyes. His lips are on the base of Kagami's cock, and as Kagami watches - entranced, and immeasurably furious at the same time - the fingers of his other hand come up and begin to stroke at the tip of his cock. "Wait - !" he cries, and he hates how needy he sounds. But he can already feel the tightening in his balls, the telltale spasms spiralling through his legs, and he knows he's going to come, but that's not the desired outcome here, is it, because he wants to come with Aomine's cock buried hilt-deep in him, with Aomine's voice whispering foul words into his ears, he wants to come  _with Aomine –_  

There's a firm grip at the base of his cock, and Kagami's eyes flutter open. He realises blearily that his ass feels strangely bereft, strangely empty of sensation, and then he belatedly notices that Aomine's already shucked a condom over his fully-erect cock. Kagami feels the tip of Aomine's cock pressing against his entrance, pushing hard, and he forces himself to relax.

"Ao -  _Aomine_ ," he murmurs, instinctively, then flinches as he realises what he's done. But at the word, uttered in Kagami's rough, quavering voice, Aomine hisses a curse through his teeth and drives his cock home with one swift movement. Kagami yells in surprise and his hands fly to Aomine's back, his nails digging in sharply at the jolt of pain-pleasure that sparks through his body like a lightning strike. Aomine leans forward, pressing his body flush against Kagami's and gripping his hips with rough, calloused fingers. Kagami utters an involuntary broken whimper as he feels Aomine's skin brush against the sensitive peak of his nipples.

Aomine thrusts into him, hard and fast, and the movement is familiar; they've fucked like this before, sometimes, somewhere, when they had been dating. Finish a basketball match, rush to Kagami's place all pumped up and  _alive_  with adrenaline, and just fuck. Hard. Kagami remembers these sessions well, remembers the marks on his wall from where the bed had violently scraped against the plaster, remembers the time Aomine had swept off all the books from his table and just fucked him, hard and fast, against the wood. He had always had bruises afterwards, on his hips and his chest and his legs - not all from contact with hard surfaces - but he hadn't exactly regretted them. And the familiar swift movement of Aomine, thrusting inside him, is enough to make him curl his body close in intense pleasure.

Kagami's legs lock around Aomine's waist again, pulling him close and burying him all the way in, and Aomine bucks. He actually  _bucks his fucking hips_ , and Kagami bites down hard on his shoulder to conceal the cry that is wrung out of him. Aomine does it again, and this time he accompanies it with a frenzy of painful bites along Kagami's shoulder, where the marks from earlier are already beginning to show. Kagami feels his nails slide against the skin of Aomine's back, feels blood on his fingernails, and he doesn't regret that either.

Aomine pulls out almost all the way, and Kagami utters an infuriated growl at the sudden emptiness. Aomine lets out a low, rasping chuckle, his breath blowing hot against Kagami's neck, and rears up so he's no longer pressing against Kagami's body. Kagami stares at him in half-dazed, half-furious irritation for a moment and opens his mouth to say something, but then Aomine grabs his hips again, angles them upwards so his legs are dangling freely in the air, and impales him deep on his cock.

Kagami vaguely hears a quiet, keening wail, and then he realises it's coming out of his mouth. Aomine brutally fucks him into the mattress, his hips pistoning, and Kagami can tell he's coming close to completion - there's that telltale frown of concentration between his thin brows, the way his mouth pinches into a flat line, the way he tosses his head back at the ceiling as if he's crying out a silent prayer - and Kagami knows he's near his own orgasm too. He feels his balls tightening, his cock ready to explode, but he just needs a little more stimulation, a little push –

Aomine gives him that push. He lunges forward again with a snarl and their lips meet again, just as he lifts a hand and grabs hold of Kagami's cock. Their tongues tangle and battle as he pumps furiously, his hips never letting up, and all of a sudden Kagami's coming hard, coming like he's never come before, spurting come all over his chest and Aomine's as he bites down on Aomine's other shoulder and doesn't let go. He feels his ass clench, tighten several times, and then Aomine's coming too, muttering broken curses into Kagami's ear as he drives deep and holds it there, his cock spasming and pumping until completion.

He collapses wholly on Kagami's body when he's done, and Kagami's simply too winded to care, even though Aomine's fucking  _heavy_  and he's already feeling the sting of the bites on his shoulder now that his testosterone levels are somewhat normal again. They lie together for a while, breathing hard and fast as if they've both run a mile-long race. The familiar presence of Aomine next to him is strangely relaxing, a queer, comfortable presence, and it brings good memories back into Kagami’s mind – _unwanted, unsought-for, undesirable_ – and suddenly he realises that their breaths are synchronising, _melding together_ almost naturally, and he shoves Aomine off with a horrified curse.

He moves to climb off the bed, but then spikes of pain thrill through his body from his hips, his arms and several other parts of his body, and the movement ends up more like a flailing scramble. Somehow he makes it to the end of the bed, but just as he's going to get off, a leg hooks around his waist.

He turns around, his eyebrows scrunched downwards in a dark scowl, to see Aomine reclining luxuriously on his back, his dark eyes molten and sated and  _smug_. It's a look that Kagami remembers,  _well_ , and he decides then and there that he's always hated it.

"Let me go," he growls, feeling the familiar resentment and hatred and anger burn in his chest again now that the adrenaline rush and his lust have faded. He grabs Aomine's leg and roughly pries it off, rolling quickly off the bed before he can try anything new.

"Come back," Aomine purrs, "and fuck me instead."

The words, so low, so deep, so  _sinful_ , send shivers down Kagami's spine. As tempting as the offer sounds - he's topped before, of course, with other partners it's the norm, but never with _Aomine_ \- Kagami doesn't yield, and goes to the closet to get a towel so he can bathe. The feeling of Aomine's sweat on his skin is already becoming a clammy, unpleasant sensation, and he wants to wash it all off, cleanse himself thoroughly, as soon as possible.

Completely and utterly ignored, Aomine stretches out on the bed, his arms extending over his head, and Kagami tries to ignore the little twist in his stomach that he gets when he sees the tan skin of Aomine's body stretch tight over his abdomen, his chest, his triceps. With his cock limp and still exposed, the entire scene is positively obscene, and yet he obviously feels no embarrassment, unabashedly displaying the naked length of his body for all the world to see.

Kagami sighs exasperatedly, and tosses a towel at him. "Do you have no shame?" he growls, fishing out another towel from the depths of the cupboard. This one is covered a little in spider-webs, and he looks at it in disgust before deciding, to hell with it. The only other available towel is plastered against Aomine's sticky, semen-covered legs, and, besides, he has no desire to use anything Aomine's touched.

He turns back to the bed, only to see that Aomine's hardly moved, except to prop his head up slightly on his arms and stare at Kagami. When their eyes meet, the corner of his mouth goes up in a self-satisfied smirk, and Kagami flushes. "Cover yourself up, it's indecent," he snarls. "And then take a shower."

Aomine sits up, displacing the towel from where it's been lying on his lap and effectively covering his limp cock. He rests his head on his arm and his eyes open wide, innocent, angelic - although Kagami knows he's neither of those things. "Is that an invitation to join you?" he asks cheekily, and dodges the notepad that Kagami chucks at him.

He watches Kagami for a while, but then when Kagami pointedly continues to ignore him, he heaves an exaggerated sigh, and leans back on his arms. Kagami doesn't give him the satisfaction of looking back again, and turns back to the drawers, rummaging for soap and shampoo.

When he next turns around, he almost has an aneurysm. Either that, or a heart attack.

Aomine's fingers are curved around his length, and he's stroking languidly, his fingers fisted firmly around the tip of his cock, tugging at the foreskin slowly and surely. Kagami flushes an even darker shade of red, feeling his eyebrows scrunch together in an automatic, dark scowl. The worst part is, he can't tear his eyes away - he watches a large, viscous drop of precome ooze out of the head of his thick cock and slide tantalisingly down, watches the slowly-hardening shaft stand to attention, watches the long, strong fingers press and tug carefully at the base. He blinks, and realises that his throat is dry.

"What… the…  _fuck_. What the fuck are you doing?" Kagami asks, the words hard and biting, then he holds up a hand as Aomine opens his mouth to answer. "Shut up. It was a rhetorical question. Now either get off the bed or get on some pants."

Aomine's mouth twists, and a dark, wicked gleam comes into his eyes. "I'd rather get on you," he purrs, and Kagami isn't sure if he slams the bathroom door shut because that was a terrible comeback, or because he's so angry that he can't think of anything to say in return.

When he comes out, Aomine's half-dressed, his pants left unbuckled and his shirt still thrown over the chair. He's taken his phone out of his pocket and is checking his texts, and Kagami feels a faint pang of hurt in his chest when he sees that the one Aomine's texting is a girl.

He doesn't know why he's surprised, really; of course Aomine's still a heartbreaker, of course he's still a selfish bastard, what's new? And because he’s bisexual, not simply and purely gay, he’s always had more options open. Kagami knows that, had known that even in high school, that girls weren’t yet off the menu, but he’d never expected Aomine to take it that far. Well, now he knows, he knows it all too well - but it still hurts like a bitch to see the display picture of a  _girl_  on Aomine's screen.

He locks the phone when he hears Kagami come out of the bathroom, however, and turns his head around. There's still the faint sheen of sweat covering his body, though at least he's bothered to wipe off the dried come from his chest. Kagami winces as he sees the long, ridged scores across Aomine's back, the marks he himself had carved in the midst of their pleasure, twisting and swirling as the heavy muscles of his back move.

Aomine still looks as dangerous as ever, the immense power visible in every line of his body, and Kagami can sense the leashed tension that pervades every fibre of his being, from the languid way he's standing, shoulders slouched forward and weight resting casually on his right leg, to the hooded lids of his eyes. He's a black panther in human skin, and Kagami realises belatedly that -  _too late_  - he's allowed himself to be bitten.

"Hey, Bakagami," he rumbles, his voice rough and hoarse from the exertions of sex -  _goddamnit, why does he still sound so sinful and wicked and dark_  - and the old nickname shoots a knife through Kagami's heart. "Give me your number."

"Fuck no." The answer is steely, and without a hint of hesitation. Kagami pulls on his jacket, grabbing his things and preparing to go. Aomine doesn't seem fazed by the rejection, uttering a soft little laugh that - as ever - has a mocking, sardonic edge to it. He stalks closer to Kagami, each step measured, each step silent, like a predator stalking its prey, and Kagami forces himself to stare back into his eyes. He sees something quiet, and of surprising strength; it is unexpected, and he flinches for a bare moment, before recovering himself.

Aomine's body heat is almost overwhelming, and the heady scent of his skin - magnified tenfold by the sweat dripping off his body, and the pheromones practically oozing out of his pores - makes Kagami dizzy. They're like wild animals, the two of them, biting and snarling and baring their teeth in a never-ending fight for dominance, and although sometimes Kagami hates the way their relationship has unfolded, sometimes, too, he enjoys the raw animalistic passion that he feels only -  _only_  - with Aomine Daiki.

Aomine drops his head to Kagami's ear, and his hot breath is like an aphrodisiac. Kagami feels like shivering, but somehow he curls his fingers into the leather of his wallet and manages to hold himself in. Aomine’s hand comes to rest on Kagami's hip, moulding perfectly to the shape of his body, curving gently around the arch of the bone. At the quiet, sensual touch, Kagami feels his heart squeeze tightly, as if caught in a vise - and suddenly,  _he cannot breathe_.

Before Aomine can say anything, he fishes a couple of thousand-yen bills out of his wallet, and slams them on the counter. Aomine arches one thin eyebrow in confusion, and Kagami glares defiantly back.

"For the room," he growls, already a hundred percent done with Aomine and his shit and his fucking infuriating sexiness, and prepares to leave. Aomine laughs, a low, amused laugh which sends a thrill spiralling through Kagami's body and down into his toes. He picks up the money and tucks it into Kagami's pocket, and Kagami has to resist the urge to touch the taut golden skin of his chest as it comes within arm's reach. 

"Keep it," he purrs, and Kagami feels like his body is melting into the ground. Aomine's voice is too low, impossibly low,  _deliciously_  low, and every dip in the cadence of his voice sends shivers down his spine. But then he sees the corner of Aomine's mouth quirk up in a wicked, smug smile, and he remembers suddenly who he's dealing with.

Kagami yanks the money out and shoves it into Aomine's hand. "I said,  _keep it_ ," he hisses, and stalks out without a second glance. He pretends he can't feel Aomine's gaze on his back as he leaves. 

 _This is the end_ , he thinks, and there's a sudden little twist in his heart, because as unwanted as this re-encounter had been, it  _had_  been pleasurable, he has to admit. The spark is still there between them, that invisible line of tension or fate or whatever bullshit Kise likes to call it. He admits freely that the two of them have great chemistry, better than he's ever experienced before with other partners, but that doesn't change the fact that Aomine's a selfish jerk, and that that will never change. 

 _It was good, though, wasn't it?_  the little imp in his chest murmurs, and he shifts uncomfortably as he walks - not least from the ache in his back and the constant pain in his hips. Yes, it had been good, and it had felt beyond amazing to relieve his urges after such a long period of celibacy. But this is  _Aomine_  they're talking about – 

 _You don't actually have to fall in love with him again_ , the little imp persists.  _You just have to fuck. Seriously, you should have given him your number. Use him, the way he used you._  

Suddenly he remembers Aomine's voice in his ear, the way Aomine's cock had fitted so snugly in him like a hand in a glove, remembers his characteristic scent which had been enough to drive all the rationality out of his mind - and he thinks, he  _knows_ , he's going plum crazy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thoughts? i suck at writing smut but, hey, if it got you hot and bothered then great ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) comments and kudos are love!  
> [tumblr](http://kitcatkandy.tumblr.com/)


	3. what goes around is coming back and haunting you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have no excuses but i had a vet internship and also  
> YURI ON ICE
> 
> enjoy

Sometimes Kagami loves his job, sometimes he hates it. Today is, unfortunately, one of  _those_  days.

After he'd busted his knee playing basketball in university, there hadn't been many paths open to him. He remembers that time with no fondness at all - he'd gone through some pretty rough days then, what with the perpetual ache in his knee and the ever-present twinge in his chest whenever he picked up a basketball. He'd even locked himself into his room and stopped eating for a couple of days, until Kuroko had taken an axe and threatened to cave his door in.

So, yeah, he'd been in some pretty dark places back then, but with the help of Kuroko, Kise, and surprisingly, Midorima, he'd managed to pull through somehow. After that, he'd taken a serious look at his future without basketball, and realised that there had been few options available to him. Although he was taking a Food Science degree, he really was in it just for the food, not for any potential career, and it had struck him that, well, he hadn't really thought out his future beyond basketball. So in the end Kuroko dragged him to the nearby fire station, signed him up for a course, and told him that was that. He'll always be grateful to Kuroko for all he's done, really, because without him, Kagami would be nothing.

But back to the subject at hand. Firefighting is a good, if exhausting and exasperating and  _utterly agonising_  job; it pays the bills, at least, and keeps his bottomless pit of a stomach full, so he can't complain. Besides, the smile on the little girl's face last week when he'd rescued her cat from the tree -  _for the five-hundredth time already_ , he's sure - had been enough to erase the ache in his bones.

Yeah, he likes his job, which is more than what most people can say, but it does have its trials sometimes. Kagami can't count on one hand - hell, even two hands - the number of arsonists he's had a part in arresting in Tokyo already. Crazy pyromaniacs, setting fire to abandoned houses just for the hell of it, pouring gasoline on a school shed just for kicks, and the whole thing makes Kagami sick to the core. These are seriously fucked-up people, he thinks, and he can only count his lucky stars that he hasn't had to clean up corpses from a building after the fire’s been put out. Not  _yet_ , at least; thankfully, all the arson cases he's been involved in recently have been in abandoned areas and condemned buildings no one would ever frequent.

Kagami doesn't think anything will be different this time around, as he buckles up and slides down the fire pole, the intrusive sound of the blaring alarm already a phenomenon he's gotten used to. Either someone's kitchen was set on fire, or some idiot with a cigarette, or even another misguided soul, putting kerosene and lighter together on a worthless pile of bricks and thinking the whole thing will make a fucking fantastic firework show.

How wrong he is.

First things first, there’s little chance of it being an accident; that much is confirmed when he buckles up into his seat and feels his radio vibrate. Secondly, it's no abandoned building earmarked by the town council for demolition, it's a  _fucking preschool_. The kids have already been evacuated out, standing or sitting in rows by their teachers and trying not to cry (or whoop in joy as they watch the instrument of their torture burn to the ground. Kagami knows he _definitely_ would, in their place). The firemen who arrived before Kagami have already set up their hoses and fire shields, and he joins in quickly, his hands automatically going through the motions without conscious thought.

"Has everyone been evacuated?" he yells at the shaggy-haired firefighter standing beside him. The other nods his head. "The teachers took a head-count," he calls back. "Everyone's here." Kagami nods his head, satisfied that nothing's amiss, and pulls his cap lower down over his head. A loud shout to his right alerts him to the fact that another fire has blown up behind one of the windows in the room, and he seizes the hose.

“Get some water over here!” he yells, and tugs at the hose. But it’s all tangled up, and he wastes a precious few moments untangling it before a gush of water sprays out of its tip. He’s directing it at the source of the new fire and wiping his brow when the scream rings out.

There's silence for a few seconds, a bare few moments in which Kagami holds his breath and doesn't dare to move a muscle, then all heads turn to the burning building. The scream had come from _there_ , _yes_ it had, and it had been the scream of a little boy. Kagami realises that he’s the one closest to the part of the building from which the scream had come, and so without a second thought, he pulls out his radio and surges forward.

“Engine three,” he works to keep his voice even, “there’s a kid inside the block, I’m going in for the rescue.” 

Behind him, he's vaguely aware of the terrified, shaky voices of the teachers doing a recount, the increasingly-loud orders barked at them by the surrounding firefighters, the roar of the fire engines. Kagami only spares a glance for his captain, a sparse, wiry old man with strength in his bones and fire in his blood, who is barking orders into the radio in his hand. He looks flustered, underneath all the fire gear, but still he looks up and catches Kagami’s eye as he passes. Kagami repeats the words, and gestures repeatedly towards the building.

“Copy that,” his captain says, and Kagami is thankful that he’s still calm, because it makes him stop and take a breath.

"Don't be a hero, Kagami," his captain says gruffly, and Kagami nods. He clasps the gas mask to his face, tying the straps together with practised movements, and pushes through the doorway. Another firefighter’s behind him, holding the hose and aiming it at the sparks flying around them, the bristling flames engulfing the walls and the ground, but Kagami doesn’t pay attention to him, and with a loud crash, he smashes through what’s remaining of the door with his axe. A whoosh of hot air greets him, almost blowing the helmet off his head, and he feels his eyebrows start to burn, but he blinks through the smoke and crouches lower.

The scream had come from above, perhaps the second floor, so he hurries to the staircase. A blast of water from the hose extinguishes the flames creeping up onto the rails of the stairs, and he spares a moment to call out a quick thank you to the firefighter behind them. Quickly, although the boards are creaking and the air is stifling, he ascends, feeling his way through the dense clouds of smoke.

When he reaches the top of the stairs, there’s a loud crash, and another terrified, shrill scream. Kagami curses and runs toward the source of the sound. He’s definite, now; the sound had come from the second floor, a room just at the end of the hallway, and he can see tall, angry flames licking at the doorknob, dancing around the edge of the door, which is starting to fall to the ground. He utters another foul word and smashes through a nearby window to let the smoke escape.

The door finally falls with a heavy bang, and Kagami finally has a clear view of what’s going on inside the room; one of the beams of the wooden ceiling has fallen to the ground – it must have been what had caused that thunderous crash – and it’s burning like nobody’s business, lighting up the floor and giving a ghastly glow to the rest of the room.

Then Kagami sees him. A tiny figure, curled up in the corner of the room, arms held tight around his legs, head buried in his arms. At the sound of the door falling, the boy lets out another terrified squeal, although this time the sound has a plaintive, hopeless edge to it that sends an angry thrill down Kagami’s spine. Kagami crouches lower and grabs his extra oxygen mask.

He lurches forward, and although he’s already moving as fast as possible, it feels like time has slowed to a crawl. All he can see is that pathetic, tiny body curled up limply in the corner, hopeless and ready for death, and immediately fire rushes through his blood and sparks down his spine. When he finally reaches the boy, after what seems like several centuries later, he clasps the boy close to him and presses the oxygen mask onto his face. A rush of relief goes through him as he feels the child shudder and let out a broken, gasping breath, and his chest starts to heave.

Immediately he heads for the door, holding the boy tightly to him. Another firefighter on the floor above sees him through the hole in the ceiling and communicates the news through his radio, but Kagami blocks out all unnecessary sound and stumbles through the smoky hallway. There’s another loud thud as another broken beam falls to the ground, and suddenly the entire floor of the room gives way. Kagami thanks his lucky stars that they’d made it through without much harm, and without plummeting to the ground with the rest of the floorboards.

The rest of the way out goes without incidence, except when he’d had to circumnavigate a burning bookcase which had fallen down and was blocking the way. Thankfully, another firefighter had come through then, wielding the hose and extinguishing any blazes along the way, and he’d quickly made short work of the flaming bookcase. With the help of another firefighter, the three of them had managed to heave the bookcase aside and carry the little boy out.

Kagami stumbles out through the doorway and finally straightens up, his back hurting like a bitch and his chest heaving. He coughs to push the smoke out of his mouth, the fresh air flooding his lungs all of a sudden. With slow movements, he heaves the boy down from his shoulder and sets him gently down on the ground, looking searchingly over her face for any signs of shock. His pupils are heavily-dilated, his mouth pursed into a frantic little knot behind the glass of the gas mask, but other than that he seems perfectly fine.

There aren't any injuries on his body, at least, and for that Kagami’s thankful. With a tired sigh, he squats down slowly and looks the boy straight in the eye. He takes the mask off, his fingers gentle and calm, and smiles a soft smile.

"You okay there, champ?" he says quietly. The boy blinks several times, his eyes large and round, and Kagami thinks, maybe, just maybe, he's going to be perfectly alright, that maybe, just maybe, he's actually managed to emerge unscathed from the experience - then he dips his head and starts to shake. Kagami can see the tears beading at the corners of his eyes, can see the way he's biting his lips so ferociously that it's drawn blood, can see the way his hands are clutching tightly into the worn fabric of his pants, and honestly, it makes Kagami's heart break.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, it's okay," he says, his voice as soft and soothing as possible. He cautiously places his large hands over the boy's shoulders, feeling the seething warmth from his shirt, remnants of their brush with death. Kagami holds on firm and doesn't let go, holding on to him until the tremors stop wracking the tiny, terrified body.

"It's okay," he repeats, the words flowing soothingly from his lips. "It's okay to cry. All boys cry." It's then that the tears leak out of the corners of the little boy's eyes, and he throws himself wholeheartedly into Kagami's arms. Kagami feels the wetness against his neck, feels the way the boy curls into him in a futile attempt to hide the moment of weakness from his classmates, and he does nothing but grip the boy closer to him.

Slowly, the sobs taper off into little, uncontrollable whimpers, and then into erratic hiccups that jolt the tiny ragdoll body. Kagami rubs his large hands calmly against his back, rubbing in small concentric circles, as the boy rubs at his eyes and slowly returns to himself. It takes a full five more minutes before the boy deems all his tears cried, and pries himself slowly off Kagami.

There are still red circles around his eyes, but Kagami ignores them nonetheless, and praises him for being a  _such a brave, brave boy_. He's picked up by the approaching teacher then, carried in the nervous, crying woman's arms. She bubbles out a few apologies, something about how she'd missed little Kei running off to fetch his backpack in the confusion and  _it was all her fault, she should have been more careful, she was so, so sorry for the trouble she'd caused,_  but Kagami waves away her apologies. He knows it's not her fault, that things like these often happen in the midst of the confusion, and no one could possibly blame her.

She bows a couple of times to him, tears still streaming from her eyes, and then hobbles off back to her class. Kagami then realises how itchy his eyes have gotten from the smoke, but he resists the urge to rub at them. He knows it'll only make the itch worse.

The other shaggy-haired firefighter claps him on the back and congratulates him for a job well done. "Good job," he says simply, but the way his green eyes crinkle up into a sleepy, adorable smile says everything. It's then that Kagami realises that the fire's finally been put out, the long towering flames already long extinguished, the black burnished wreckage of the preschool smoking.

It’s then that the familiar righteous burn of anger starts to crawl over his skin and work its way through his adrenaline-flooded system, sending his every nerve firing and every hair on his body standing on end. He clenches his fist, remembering the words which had come over his radio when he had first gotten into the engine and felt the device vibrate –

“Code red, this is engine one reporting from the scene. We’ve got a structure fire at Bright Hearts Preschool, Jiyugaoka, on fire from the first level to the third, uh, hold on... _Fuck_ , it’s a possible arson; the fucker left his gasoline cans lying around the scene. The captain’s calling the department, they’ll be sending the standard people down. Shit, this is fucked up, it’s a _fucking preschool - ”_

Normally, Kagami knows, it would be difficult to detect if a case were arson without the arson investigator from the police around, but in this case it’s pretty obvious. And he had seen the gasoline trails on the floor where the fire hadn’t yet touched the wood; this guy hadn’t been subtle about his intentions.

He remembers the frightened eyes of the little boy, who couldn’t have been more than five – remembers his shaking hands, the large tears gushing uncontrollably down his cheeks, his tiny feet peeking out from under the lining of his coat, and suddenly, _he has to know_. He has to know what the department’s doing about it, if they have any clues, if the detective in charge of the case has anything yet, if he can possibly go to the boy and say with a straight face that _everything’s alright_. Because it’s not like that yet, and Kagami knows he’d never be able to face the boy if he didn’t know who the fuck had done such a cruel, malicious thing.

Kagami looks around; the other firefighters are busy cleaning up, inspecting the rubble, and it looks like he has a few minutes to spare, so he stalks towards the squad car parked just beside them on the road, the man standing beside it distinguishable from all the other beat cops by the large shiny red badge on his chest. He’s placing samples from the crime scene into unlined metal cans, standard procedure, sealing and labelling them and placing them in large plastic bags to be taken back for analysis. Kagami walks over to him, and starts when he recognises a familiar face.

“It’s a clear case of arson, then?” he asks, abruptly, and the other man looks up at him in surprise. Then his brow clears, and he nods. He brushes back the short cropped blonde hair from his brow, and clears his throat.

“Yeah, looks like it,” he murmurs, a small smile cutting across his face. “Agent Wakamatsu – but you already know my name, don’t you, Kagami? You’re that guy who pulled the boy out of the fire, aren’t you? Good job on that.”

“Thanks,” Kagami says; the sight of the former Touou player is not an unwelcome surprise. He shakes his hand with a rough grip, and looks over at the samples. “You think you’re gonna find any accelerant on that?”

Wakamatsu waves a hand dismissively. “These are just procedural. I mean, the guy left the gasoline cans at the scene; I don’t think there’s much doubt in anybody’s mind that this was a clear case of arson.”

Kagami looks around curiously, suddenly remembering that there’s supposed to be a detective partnering with the arson investigator on this. He wrinkles his nose, seeing no man in plainclothes, just some beat cops directing traffic and helping out the firefighters with the cleaning up. Brushing the dust off his hair, he turns back to Wakamatsu.

“Where’s the detective? Not here yet?” he asks, and Wakamatsu releases an explosive sigh. His already-frowning brows darken even further into an ominous scowl.

“It’s that asshole, he’s now some bigshot detective just transferred over from Kyoto. Technically, he doesn’t even need to do these kinds of cases, but he was on the way back from some bloody award ceremony, said he’d drop by and ‘see how the rookies were doing’.” Wakamatsu’s face twitches, and it’s clear that he’s trying to keep his cool, despite very obviously detesting the guy. Kagami laughs in sympathy; he knows what it’s like to have arrogant, know-it-all superiors who act like they’re all-important.

“He’s a jerk, huh?” he says, a half-smile on his lips, although he’s a little bit puzzled at the mention of ‘that asshole’. He dismisses it as a slip of the tongue, however, quickly looking back and making sure that he’s still got some time to spare, before returning to the conversation “Let’s not talk about him. Let’s talk about the case instead, and what you’ve found - ”

“Yeah, let’s not waste more time talking about me, get on with it, Wakamatsu, you know the drill.”

They hear the voice the exact moment Kagami feels an unpleasantly-familiar weight on his shoulder. Low, gravelly, impossibly-deep, and Kagami feels the whoosh of hot air past his ear. Instinctively, he shoves the man behind him off his shoulder and turns around, aiming a punch at his face, but Aomine ducks easily with a languid grace that never fails to piss him off.

“What’re _you_ doing here?” Kagami snarls, and it’s then that he realises that he never took his helmet off, because it clangs onto the floor with a loud crash, the straps snipping at his heels and clacking against the tarmac. Wakamatsu starts to speak, his words angry and vociferous, and interspersed with a multitude of gestures, but Aomine ignores him, and bends to pick up the helmet. Kagami reaches down quickly and snatches it away.

It’s a spiteful action, he’s perfectly aware of that, but he just can’t stand the thought of Aomine _helping him_ with anything, can’t stand the thought of Aomine touching any of his things, and also, he’s trying to avoid checking out Aomine’s perfect ass. He hates himself for being a man and doing the things men do, because somehow, although his mind detests the very sight of Aomine, his body can’t help instinctively reacting to the things that, well, a man would react to. Namely, a very shapely, well-formed ass.

Aomine straightens slowly, every movement of his deliberate and calculated, as he tips his head up and his eyes meet Kagami’s. There’s wicked laughter in his eyes, a snide humour, as if he knows exactly what’s running through Kagami’s mind, and he finds it absolutely hilarious. He shoves one hand in his pocket and leans back, and it’s only then that Kagami realises that he’s leaning against one of the flashiest – scratch that, _the_ flashiest – motorcycle he’s ever seen. It’s sleek and slim, the black paint without a scratch, the frame bright silver and well-polished. There aren’t any stickers or décor on it, and Kagami feels the urge to just reach forward and touch his fingers to the smooth surface of the motorcycle.

“I’m the detective in charge of this case,” Aomine says, smug satisfaction in every line of his body.

“Fuck no,” is Kagami’s immediate reaction, and he turns back towards Wakamatsu, but the look of aggrieved resentment on the latter’s face confirms his worst fears. He looks at Aomine, then back at Wakamatsu, and then decides to completely ignore the detective. Wiping away the sweat beading on his forehead, he leans on the squad car and looks at the samples laid out on its hood, trying desperately to ignore the heat of Aomine’s gaze behind him.

“Seriously?” he hisses at Wakamatsu. “How’d this guy ever become a detective? And what the fuck’s up with his motorcycle?”

Wakamatsu’s fingers are clenched so hard Kagami can see his knuckles turn white. There’s a vein throbbing in his temple, and his mouth is compressed into a tight line, but surprisingly, his voice is steady when he replies.

“Solved some big cases back in Kyoto, got promoted, then demoted for insubordination, ended up here as a detective,” Wakamatsu says, his voice grudging as he outlines Aomine’s past. He lowers his voice confidentially, with a spiteful glance over Kagami’s shoulder where Aomine is still standing. “Wouldn’t be surprised if he got demoted back to beat cop for that bloody motorcycle, but he absolutely refuses to use a department car. Thank God I don’t have to work with him on a daily basis.”

“Hey, Wakamatsu, I heard that,” Aomine growls, and Kagami grits his teeth as he feels Aomine’s arm sling over his shoulders, _again_. “Just shut up and give me the brief, won’t you.”

He’s obviously used to giving orders and having them obeyed, and by the way Wakamatsu reluctantly blurts out everything he’s found so far, he’s probably pretty high up in the police force. Kagami, however, has no qualms about defying authority, and so he calmly extricates Aomine’s arm and shuffles away from his side, continuing to listen to Wakamatsu’s words without paying the detective any heed.

Halfway through Wakamatsu’s speech, Aomine cuts him off with an airy, “Got it, that’s enough,” and pulls out a cigarette from his pocket. The arson investigator starts spluttering, his face turning red, and Kagami starts wondering if he should get the fire hose, because seriously, both of them need to be hosed down.

“Aren’t you going to listen to the rest of it?!” Wakamatsu exclaims angrily, looking extremely close to exploding, and one of the empty metal tins clatters to the floor as he accidentally swipes it off the hood. None of them pay it any heed.

Aomine just shrugs, the arrogant tilt of his shoulders lazy - Kagami can just  _feel_  the smugness radiating off him, and it absolutely infuriates him as always - and leans back against the motorcycle. He crosses his arms across his chest, and Kagami tries to look away from the way his biceps bulge and swell against the dark cloth of his uniform. Again, it drives him absolutely nuts, the way Aomine can look so  _good_  all the time.

God is never fair, he thinks angrily, because really, Aomine doesn't deserve the body he has, doesn't deserve to look the way he does, all while being a world-class asshole. It really isn't fair. Besides, the way the formal uniform clings to his broad shoulders and accentuates the slimness of his hips isn't doing much to calm down Kagami's traitorous libido.

Men in uniform have always been his kink, but Aomine is definitely  _not_  someone he wants in his life, so he tries to blank out Aomine's scent from his senses, drive out the thoughts running through his mind, of Aomine pressing him against the slick, cold metal of the motorcycle, driving those slim hips against his ass, whispering dark, wicked promises into his ears with that rough, beautiful,  _sinful_  voice –

Here he snaps himself out of his reverie, realising that -  _of all things!_  - he'd just been getting hard. Because of  _Aomine_. And while he doesn't deny that there  _is_  a tangible attraction between them, a basic connection that draws them to each other, he's already long realised that Aomine's far too emotionally-constipated to make up a satisfying relationship with him. Kagami admits, all too freely, that his body wouldn't mind fucking Aomine again - just that he's not willing to dive into the mindfuck that is his and Aomine's relationship.

So he leans forward and plucks the cigarette out of Aomine’s hand.

“Don’t smoke on the job,” he grinds out, glaring at Aomine and hoping he gets the message. Aomine just shrugs again, a sardonic smile slicing across his face, and leans back onto the motorcycle again. Honestly, the way he’s acting so relaxed is really starting to piss Kagami off even more. Can’t he take his job seriously just for one second?

He waves at Wakamatsu, urging him to continue. The arson investigator purses his lips, but continues on with the report, detailing how the fire had had multiple points of origin, starting from both the garden, the main block and the back kitchen. The firefighters had noted the thick black smoke coming from the fire, an unusual sight that usually indicated an accelerant was involved. The occasional explosions that had broken out over the course of the fire had been highly suspicious, as Kagami himself knows; he had been involved in fighting one of the initial outbursts.

Meanwhile, Aomine has been completely ignoring both of them, and has already wandered off to inspect the scene. Kagami watches him angrily, and wonders just how the hell he managed to get promoted, because it’s obvious that he doesn’t give a damn about listening to his subordinates, or getting the low-down on the case – it seems like he doesn’t give a damn about anything at all, in fact.

“How do you put up with him?” he mutters in frustration to Wakamatsu, whose brows are snapped thunderously over his slitted eyes. But the arson investigator is, obviously, already used to the way Aomine works, because he doesn’t protest, and just sighs angrily.

“He does his job well,” he admits, although he sounds as if he’d rather have his teeth pulled out than say such words again.

“And so the higher-ups let him get away with everything?” Kagami asks, incredulous. Wakamatsu doesn’t say anything, but the tight-lipped nod he gives says it all. Kagami grits his teeth again. God, Aomine makes him _so angry_ , but all the same, watching his familiar figure prowl languidly around the crime scene awakens a whole slew of emotions he’s utterly unprepared to deal with at the moment. He turns his attention back to Wakamatsu.

“If you find out who the bastard who set this fire is,” he murmurs quietly, “contact me at the station.” When he sees the other’s raised eyebrow, he shrugs, feeling a little self-conscious.

“I just want to know,” he says, hoping that’s self-explanatory, and Wakamatsu nods understandingly. He shuffles all the samples back into one large bag and tucks it into the back seat of the squad car.

But Kagami should have known that Aomine wouldn't give up so easily. He realises this when he feels the warm weight of a body press against his back, flush against his entire body. God knows Aomine does it on purpose, but Kagami can't kick up a fuss without being a drama queen. And he is, most definitely, _nothing_  like Kise.

"Get off me, you bastard," is all he hisses under his breath as he tries to regain his balance. Goddamnit, was Aomine always this fucking heavy? Kagami hopes the added weight isn't added muscles, but fats. Let him lose that perfect body shape for once.

And now he's being spiteful again. Really, what is it about Aomine that makes him so… so...  _salty_?

"You smell good," Aomine says in return, and promptly proceeds to bury his face in Kagami's neck. Kagami hisses angrily and shakes him off, ignoring the scandalised stare that Wakamatsu directs at him. He should be used to it by now, shouldn't he; after all, Aomine scandalises everyone around him, it's practically the way he rolls. But then Aomine starts dotting tiny, biting kisses down his neck, and Kagami has to stifle a moan - or it might have been a foul curse, he doesn't know.

The thing is, Aomine's mouth on his skin is sending shivers down his spine and tingles across his skin, and he doesn't know what to feel. For one thing, the touches are gentle and distinctly  _un_ -Aomine, and Kagami doesn't know if he should enjoy it as best he can, while he can, but then again he doesn't think it's a good thing to  _encourage_  Aomine's boldness in any way whatsoever. So he slaps his hand over his shoulder and, thankfully, manages to catch Aomine's nose, sending the other man spluttering backwards in indignation.

Kagami gives him a superb look of self-righteousness and smugness - really, it's a damn masterpiece, it is , and Aomine should be proud, because it's from  _him_  that Kagami learned how to perfect that look - and turns back to Wakamatsu, who is watching the entire spectacle with wide eyes.

"So where were we?" Kagami asks, not entirely able to keep the self-satisfaction out of his voice, as he leans back onto the car hood and prepares to put his helmet back on.

"You two look like a married couple," Wakamatsu says, and Kagami chokes a little. He vaguely hears Aomine's sardonic, highly-amused laughter behind him, and dimly alarm bells ring in his head:  _Oh, how I_ detest _him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i did a little bit of research for this (and by that I mean binge-watching fireman rescue videos) so i would absolutely welcome feedback from anyone who has experience working with fires?? i mean, i know nothing so  
> on hindsight Aomine seems really rapey and gross but oh well ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ we'll get to find out a little more about him in the next chapter, and i'd really welcome feedback bc it's getting a little harder for me to keep them in character. comments and kudos are love <3  
> [tumblr](http://kitcatkandy.tumblr.com/)


	4. a taste of a poison paradise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello no i'm not dead but life has been painful and college is a burden and this chapter was just a pain to write... a little on the short side but charged with emotion (if i did it right lmao) i know developments might be a little controversial atm... i'd just like to put it out there that i welcome constructive feedback so hit me up with it man ᕙ( * •̀ ᗜ •́ * )ᕗ  
> hope you enjoy!!

It’s part of Kagami’s daily routine to drop by Murasakibara’s patisserie every day before work. It’s always marvelled him how the big man’s large hands could craft such intricate, delicate, absolutely _delicious_ pastries and sweet treats, but he’s not going to complain. Not when Tatsuya gives him fifty-percent-off discounts on the cheeseburger-themed galettes.

After graduating high school, Murasakibara had quit competitive basketball and university altogether, and gone off to culinary school. Tatsuya had continued on with his professional career, and after a few years in LA, he’d come back to Tokyo to play for the Japan team. Kagami’s truly happy for him, yes he is, but he can’t help suppressing a twinge of bitterness at Tatsuya’s success, not when he could have had it all as well.

His knee still hurts sometimes, hurts like a bitch. But it doesn’t stop him from dropping by Atsushi’s Buns and Bakes every day before his shift to pick up a quick breakfast. It lets him see Tatsuya too, after all, since his brother usually helps out at the patisserie in the morning before the paid help arrives.

Two days after the fire, he drops by again at his usual time, slipping a thousand-yen bill across the counter and waiting for Tatsuya to wrap up the galettes for him. Tatsuya complains good-naturedly about the amount Kagami consumes, and reminds him to watch his waistline now he doesn’t exercise as frequently anymore. Kagami banters cheerfully with him, defending his belly with fierce pride at how many sit-ups he gets done in a day, and reminds Tatsuya, as he always does, that firefighting isn’t exactly a physically-relaxing job.

The huge pile of galettes is eventually crammed into a small paper bag, which Kagami takes and places between his palms to warm himself up. He shivers, and although the central heating is on in the patisserie, his breath comes out as a fluffy whorl of mist that curls upwards towards the air vents. It’s autumn now, and the days are getting shorter and colder.

Murasakibara comes out the kitchen, absent-mindedly wiping his flour-covered hands on his bright pink apron, a joke gift from Kagami a few Christmases ago. The large words on the front read “Mr Good-Lookin’ is Cookin’”, and Tatsuya had blushed a bright red when the gift had been opened, but Murasakibara had been as stoic as ever, thanking “Kaga-chin” for the lovely present and promptly proceeding to pull it over his head.

According to Tatsuya, he and the grossly pink apron have been inseparable ever since, and what has Kagami done, he ought to be ashamed of himself, etcetera, etcetera. Kagami mostly just laughs it off, because Murasakibara can pull off pink pretty well, all things considered.

The pastry chef nods at Kagami as he goes to the glass display cases and starts arranging the cakes in order of colour. Kagami shoots him a quick smile and a “What’s up, Murasakibara” before picking up his change from the counter and walking towards the door. He waves goodbye to Tatsuya as he goes.

The next day, Kagami comes back as usual, only this time Tatsuya is frowning as he wraps up his galettes.

“I swear I’ve seen Aomine fucking _Daiki_ around the patisserie recently,” he says, and Kagami drops his wallet on the floor.

He slowly picks up all the coins before he straightens up, thinking about what to say. In the end, he decides to go with ‘complete ignorance’, and cocks an eyebrow.

“Eh, ah, so?” he asks, taking out the thousand-yen bill and putting it on the counter.

Tatsuya shrugs, but his eyes are shrewd, and fixed on Kagami’s face. “I haven’t seen him around much these past few years, that’s all,” he murmurs, his eyes dropping to the money as he puts it in the cashier and presses the keys. “Word was he’d moved to Kyoto. Atsushi’s been seeing him around too, actually, but he hasn’t tried to contact any of us. Kise seems to know something, although every time I tried to ask him about it he fobbed me off. You happen to know anything about Aomine coming back, Taiga?”

“Why ask me?” Kagami asks in reply, promptly taking out one of the galettes and stuffing it into his mouth whole to excuse him from saying anything else. He chokes a little on the ham, but otherwise, the crust is soft and chewy as ever and it goes down well.

Tatsuya does that casual little shrug again, the one that seems way more innocent than it actually is. “You guys were close back then, weren’t you?” he asks shamelessly, automatically filling a cup of water from the dispenser and handing it to Kagami. “Or at least, it _seemed_ that way for a while. Was I wrong?”

 _No_ , Kagami thinks bitterly, _you weren’t wrong_. _I wish you were wrong._

“He’s dangerous, Taiga,” Tatsuya says, leaning forward. The amusement in his eyes is now completely gone, and he looks perfectly serious.

“He’s a policeman, not a crook,” Kagami laughs, but both of them can tell it’s forced.

Tatsuya shakes his head. “You know what I’m talking about. Watch yourself, Taiga.”

Kagami tells him he can look after himself, and not to worry about Aomine because the whole matter doesn’t concern him one jot, and leaves. He’s in a bad temper the rest of the day.

Bad things always come in threes, so they say, and Kagami now knows this to be true. Strike one had been the fire. Strike two had been Tatsuya’s little brotherly ‘talk’. And strike three…

He doesn’t watch his back, and that’s how he gets jumped, one day after the talk with Tatsuya, caught just outside the patisserie with one hand full of pastries and the other reaching for his bus pass.

“Heeeeeeey…” A hand slides round his waist and he jerks instinctively. One elbow goes back into the other man’s stomach and his left foot stomps backwards, hard. Aomine utters an alarmed bark of discomfort as the heel of Kagami’s boot digs into his toes.

“Shit, Kagami,” Aomine coughs, the elbow having caught him in his abdomen. “It’s just me.”

Kagami doesn’t dignify him with a response, and continues walking on as if he doesn’t exist. Aomine straightens up behind him and hurries after him, clapping one hand on his shoulder as he massages his stomach.

“You really don’t soften your blows, do you, huh?” he says, a lilt of amusement to his voice. Kagami shakes him off irritably and continues walking on, but Aomine is as dogged as ever, catching up quickly and proceeding to engage him in one of the most inane conversations he has ever had the misfortune of experiencing.

Finally, Kagami sighs, and turns around. His face is a masterpiece of pissed-off, fuming, _raging_ annoyance, and he stuffs his hands forcibly into his pockets so he won’t try and punch Aomine in his smug, smiling face. He growls out an irritable “What do you _want_?” and waits for Aomine to reply.

Aomine gives a short chuckle and runs his hands through his dark hair. He’s looking extremely good today, in a plain white shirt that clings to his chest and a jacket slung over his shoulder. The blue skinny jeans he’s wearing accentuate the slim line of his hips, and both the men and women walking past stop to goggle at his body. Kagami hates them all.

“Just wanted to talk to my favourite person in the world, that’s all,” he says, spreading his hands apologetically. “Nothing wrong with that, is there?”

Kagami hisses out a vehement breath and spins around, urging his legs to walk faster, to carry him away from this walking ball of disaster. Aomine catches up to him again and grabs his shoulder, this time forcibly enough to stop him in his tracks.

“Okay, okay,” he mutters, and it’s the combination of serious and sulky in his voice that makes Kagami relent. He turns around again and directs a very eloquent glare in Aomine’s direction. Aomine is very pointedly not looking at his face, but down at the floor.

He takes a deep breath, as if to rally himself, and exhales.

“Ineedtotalktoyou,” he mumbles, and Kagami blinks. The words had been jumbled together and fast, and so he hadn’t really made them out properly, but he could guess what Aomine wanted, and that was certainly unexpected.

“You want… to talk?” he says slowly. Then he laughs. It’s a bitter laugh. “Come on, Aomine. This isn’t like you. Don’t you mean, you want to _fuck_?”

The word sounds cruel and angry, and he snaps it out with biting force. Aomine flinches backwards as if he were slapped, and he peeks upwards quickly before flicking his lashes down.

“I… wanted to talk to you,” he says softly. “Come on, Kagami.”

And it’s the way he says Kagami’s name, soft and sweet and _wounded_ almost, that makes Kagami give in. Contrary to his exterior, and sometimes to his great chagrin, Kagami has always been kind.

He gestures for Aomine to follow him, and stomps forward towards the park. Today is Saturday, thankfully, and he picks a secluded area of the park where they can sit down on one of the benches and not be overheard by the weekend crowds. Not that there are many at this time of day.

He sits down before Aomine and pulls one of the tarts out of the bag. Aomine plonks himself down next to him and watches him eat for a while. This does not make him uncomfortable, of course, not in the least. Not at all.

“Stop watching me _eat_ , bloody hell,” Kagami growls, after a minute or two of silence plus his loud angsty chomping. “Say what you wanted to say and get lost.”

Aomine offers him a small lopsided smile, and it hurts Kagami that it still makes his heart twinge. He opens his mouth to speak, Kagami takes a deep breath, and the suspense almost kills him.

“I don’t really know what to say,” Aomine says, rather anticlimactically. Kagami’s nails dig deep crescents into the flesh of his thigh, and he almost bites his tongue.

He shoots to his feet, ready to leave, because really this is all ridiculous and he should never have given Aomine a chance anyway. He’d _cheated_ on him, never apologised, never spoken to him again, and now he had the _gall_ to drag him off into the woods and have _nothing to say_. Kagami had spent days, weeks, months waiting for his phone to ring with the familiar ringtone he’d set for Aomine only, and the phone had never rung. Not even once, and the fact still hurts him deep down.

But Aomine catches on to his sleeve as he stands, and he automatically looks down at the other man. The look in Aomine’s eyes is fragile, tired, and unfamiliar. It takes Kagami a moment to realise that it’s fear.

“Kagami,” Aomine whispers, and his voice breaks on the last syllable. Kagami sits back down.

Aomine swallows. He seems to be making some sort of large decision, the rusty cogs in his head whirring to life, and Kagami waits. Kagami has never been a patient man, not by far, but he’s willing to wait for Aomine.

“I’m sorry,” he murmurs. The world is quiet around them, save for the rustling of the autumn leaves falling to the ground, and the gentle murmur of faraway people. A soft breeze blows through the short curls at the base of Aomine’s skull. Kagami hears a pigeon coo in the distance, and the rustling of a squirrel above their heads, and he can smell the fresh, sour tang of mustard in the air.

Aomine pulls a familiar-looking paper bag out of his jacket pocket and plops it down in Kagami’s lap. “I thought I’d be able to catch you before you went in, but I was working a case last night, and I woke up late, so.” He clears his throat and looks away from Kagami’s startled eyes. “I don’t think the guy at the counter likes me much.”

Kagami finds his voice, and utters a little bark of surprised laughter. “Yeah, I would think so,” he replies, opening the paper bag and finding the familiar burger-flavoured galettes, a little soft but still edible. “He’s Himuro Tatsuya, from Yosen. I think he’d be offended that you didn’t remember him.”

Aomine brushes Tatsuya aside impatiently and speaks again, his eyes fixed on Kagami’s mouth as he hungrily devours the galettes.

“So… I’m sorry,” he repeats, this time looking straight into Kagami’s eyes. “I’m sorry I was a jerk to you last time.”

Kagami almost spits out the food in his mouth, managing to choke it down with difficulty. He coughs a few times before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, then he turns his eyes up towards Aomine. The glare in his eyes, he’s sure, is hot enough to melt metal.

“You’re sorry you were a _jerk_?!” he spits, derisively. “Come on, Aomine, you weren’t just a _jerk_. You were a cheating, lying son of a bitch, and you had the nerve to tell the girl you weren’t bloody _finished_ when I was standing there right in front of you! I’d say apologising for being a fucking _jerk_ is a bit of an understatement, wouldn’t you say, compared to your other long list of sins.”

Aomine winces visibly with every word that’s shot at him, but still he bites his lip and bows his head. He takes the verbal beating without protest, and when Kagami is done and turns to go, he catches hold of Kagami’s sleeve again. The touch is gentle and hesitant, painfully familiar, and Kagami catches his breath sharply.

“I’m sorry I hurt you,” Aomine says simply, and the emotion in his voice is raw.

Kagami lets out the breath he is holding. His temper has always been wildly explosive, stormy and impetuous, but when it comes down to it he can never stay angry for long. Especially not at Aomine.

“You were… you were awful to me,” he manages. “I loved you.”

“I know,” Aomine murmurs. He doesn’t repeat the words back to Kagami, and Kagami’s grateful for that, because he doesn’t need to hear empty words right now. He needs calm, and quiet, and peace, now that Aomine has once more come into his life.

He remembers the incidents of the past few days, and seats himself slowly back down onto the bench. “What do you want from me, Aomine?” he asks, point-blank, because the way the other had been acting around him had certainly not been normal behaviour.

“I want you again,” Aomine says, his voice tight. “I didn’t mean to sleep with you at the reunion, I didn’t mean it, but you were… you were… I don’t have any excuses, but seeing you again was unbearable.” He looks into Kagami’s eyes, and his own are rife with pain. “I wanted you so badly. I never realised how badly I wanted you until that night. I never realised how badly I needed you in my life until you left – until I _made_ you leave. I’m sorry, Kagami. I can’t say that enough times, but I’m truly sorry for what I did.”

“Why?” Kagami asks simply, and the hurt he had buried for so long suddenly rises to the surface and colours the tone of his voice. When he repeats his question, his voice is hoarse with emotion. “ _Why?_ ”

“Because I was an idiot!” Aomine shouts, and the sudden change in volume startles the both of them. “Because I didn’t know how good I had it until we weren’t together anymore. Because I’d never fallen that fast, and I’d never fallen that hard, and it _scared_ me, Kagami. It scared me to know I’d lose control of myself because of how badly I needed you. It was my first time... My first time being attracted to a man, and I didn't know... I didn't know what to do.”

“It scared me too, Aomine, but I didn’t cheat on you with a girl,” hisses Kagami. “You can’t ever understand how badly you hurt me.”

“Believe me, Kagami, I’ve tried,” Aomine rasps. The usual seductive lilt to his voice is missing, and all that is left is pure, volatile emotion. “I’ve imagined, so many times, what it would have been like if you’d cheated on me, and the pain I feel is… it’s indescribable. I know you can’t forgive me so soon, but I still lo – I still like you, and I want to mend the relationship between us. Is that too impossible a task?”

Kagami feels the hurt in his chest, and the way his heart clenches tight, but then he looks back into the dark, hooded eyes that are Aomine’s. He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. He feels, again, the shape of Aomine’s body against his, the taste of his lips, the touch of his skilful hands, and suddenly, he finds his yearning too much to bear.

He is, after all, but a man, and Aomine’s touch is fire on his skin.

“Fuckbuddies,” he finds himself saying, although his voice is unsteady and wavering. “That’s all we’ll be for the time being. I can’t guarantee you friendship even, not at the moment, and definitely not more, but I can give you my body.” His fists open and clench several times, and he closes his eyes, unable to bear the weight of Aomine’s gaze any longer.

“I feel... I feel sexual desire for you,” Kagami manages. “Our bodies are good together. That's all there is to it. Whatever love I had for you died a long time ago.” He ignores the painful twinge in his chest as he says these words.

When he opens his eyes and looks back into Aomine’s, the pain in them is almost too much for him to bear, but he steels his heart against it and holds firm. He is but a man, and the sex between them is too good to pass up, no matter how unfeeling and cold loveless coupling makes him feel. Their chemistry is mind-blowing, and he’s not going to pass up the opportunity to fuck Aomine when and where he wants, not when Aomine is in a capitulating and compromising mood. He’s not going to give him his heart, and the only thing he can - the only thing he _wants_ to offer – is his body.

Somehow, that only makes his chest tighten even further, and suddenly he cannot breathe. He gets up from the bench and takes a long, deep breath.

Aomine’s confession and apology should have given him a sense of closure, of resolution; after all, he’s dreamed about confronting Aomine and digging his fists into him till he cannot breathe, but somehow he just feels empty. Empty of emotion, of feeling, of _caring_ , and he hates that Aomine can still move his emotions to such an extent.

 _Fuckbuddies_ , he repeats in his head. _That’s all we are, and all I want to be._

It doesn’t make him feel any better.

***

“You've made a really bad decision,” Kuroko says, his face blank as ever, but his eyes are strangely cold. Kagami chokes on his cheeseburger and slaps a hand over his mouth, his eyes widening in horror as he stares at his companion.

“Wh - Wait - How - _How did you know_?” he splutters, when he's cleaned up the partially-partially-chewed pieces of the burger he'd spewed onto the table in his surprise.

Kuroko shrugs, that characteristic, nonchalant shrug - God, Kagami swears Kuroko and Tatsuya are both so similar sometimes. Especially in the way both of them annoy him in equal parts.

Watching him closely, Kuroko sips at the straw of his milkshake. “So I was right, wasn't I?” he murmurs. “I could tell from your demeanour. And trouble always seems to crop up for you where Aomine-kun is concerned.”

Kagami is silent for a few minutes, then he hunches down closer to the table and grips on tight to the burger in his hands. He doesn't affirm Kuroko's words, nor does he deny them, and Kuroko sighs, as if he's divined all.

“You've always had a soft spot for Aomine-kun,” Kuroko says, his voice as stoic as ever. “Despite him being your rival - or rather, precisely _because_ he was your rival.”

Kagami bites his lip, because as much as he wants to deny it, he knows Kuroko's simply speaking the truth. When it comes to Aomine, Kagami just can't seem to make logical decisions. And even though he's never really been one for science or book learning or all that smart shit, he suddenly remembers a nature documentary he'd watched with his gramma, a long time ago in the States - he remembers the grasshopper infected with a parasitic worm, coerced by the parasite to jump into the water - ensuring an inevitable suicide against its will, and the continued survival of the parasite. He thinks of Aomine and the way he moves, sleek and predatory and unforgivingly cruel, and he thinks of himself - dangling at the edge of the water, about to jump in, willingly walking on the path to self-destruction.

It's not a pleasant thought, to say the least.

Kuroko interrupts his reverie by checking the watch on his wrist and decisively finishing off his drink with a soft, barely-perceptible slurp. He stands up and pushes Kagami's burger wrappers onto his tray.

“Come on,” he says calmly, as if nothing had happened. “I'm due at the preschool in an hour's time.”

Kagami looks up and him, and he feels suddenly very small. It's a strange and wholly-foreign feeling to him, since he's used to always being the biggest in the room ever since young, but the way Kuroko's eyes now make him feel small, and vulnerable, and scared.

“You're not going to try and dissuade me?” he asks, almost timidly, except that he's never _timid_. “You're not going to tell me off? Even though you know I've made a really bad decision?” There is a curious plaintive note in his voice, and he hates it. He hates Aomine even more, for exposing his vulnerability, and he blames him, too, for the way his life is going upside down.

Goddamnit, he'd had it all planned out too – get away from Aomine, play basketball professionally, meet Aomine years later on a court and be strong enough to tell him to fuck off -

Well, he'd done one of those three things, anyway. Life always screwed things up, he thinks bitterly.

And now he's been beaten down to this – hanging onto Kuroko's next words like it's the last tendrils of his sanity, hoping, wishing, that Kuroko can deliver him from the newfound pain and anguish and slow-burn poison that Aomine, toxic, _toxic_ Aomine, has brought back into his life.

But Kuroko only shakes his head firmly, and gestures for him to get up. “It's your own decision, after all, Kagami-kun,” he murmurs. “I've always wanted to take Aomine-kun down, ever since he hurt you, but I've stopped myself, because you didn't ask me to. I trust you to make your own choices. It's not up to me what you decide to do.”

Kagami pops the last of the burger into his mouth, suddenly feeling a secret warmth bloom through his chest and down to his toes. He might not show it often, but really, he's grateful for Kuroko's friendship, his unyielding loyalty, and most of all, his _trust_. The words, though not what he wants, are what he needs, and they give him strength – enough strength to push down the concentrated jealousy and anger and righteous hatred in his mind.

“Oh,” Kuroko pauses, his eyes thoughtful, as he looks at Kagami, the tray perched in his hands. “Also, you've always been one of the few people Aomine-kun was willing to listen to. I think, perhaps, maybe... maybe you've always just been special to him.”

Kagami is left staring after him, speechless, as Kuroko marches away to deposit the tray in the return bin.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aokaga is life and i would never abandon this beautiful fandom;;; so even though i may not update frequently be rest assured that i _will_ update!! comments and kudos are love  <3  
> [tumblr](http://kitcatkandy.tumblr.com/)


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